Another cool morning (45 degrees) found me heading over to Hadley with Ian to
check the honeypot for any migrants that might be around. Before meeting Ian I
stopped briefly at Orchard Hill where at least two American Woodcocks were still
flying around and displaying. I picked up Ian at 6 and we headed for the
honeypot where we stayed for about three hours. Highlights included a
Grasshopper Sparrow, 220+ Bobolinks, five raptor species (including Peregrine
Falcons and Northern Harrier), at least seven American Golden Plovers both on the
ground and in flight (wide assortment of plumage), a Lesser Yellowlegs, at
least 21 Killdeer, about a dozen Least Sandpipers, at least 25 Chimney Swifts,
13 Indigo Buntings (several calling), an Eastern screech Owl spontaneously
calling along the river, a Great Egret, a Tennessee Warbler, Black throated Green
Warblers feeding down in the grasses with sparrows, and swallows in large
numbers (400+ Bank Swallows, 220 Barn Swallows, 150 Tree Swallows, 2 Cliff
Swallows and hundreds too far out to ID). We also had a bird that got away that
may have been a Connecticut Warbler but we couldn't confirm it. A total
of 57 species at this location overall.

Lesser Yellowlegs, Hadley, Sep 7, 2013

We then made a brief stop along the river in Hadley where we had another Lesser
Yellowlegs, three Least Sandpipers, a Spotted Sandpiper and a Killdeer plus
another Great Egret.
We headed over to the East Meadows but the bird activity was very light and the
human activity somewhat heavy so we headed out of there and worked out way
back to UMASS where we made a quick stop at the drawn down campus pond. The
usual geese and Mallards plus a Great Blue Heron. With the mudflats present at
the pond, there is a chance of a shorebird stopping by but none today.

Red eyed Vireo, home, Belchertown, Sep 7, 2013

Red eyed Vireo, home, Belchertown, Sep 7, 2013

At home I had a few mixed species flocks move through with the most numerous
warbler being Black throated Green Warbler but had a few others mixed in
including a Northern Parula (had an Ovenbird around yesterday)